The present invention relates to a connector assembly which includes a first connector having a first contact and a second connector having a second contact and in which when the second connector is inserted into the first connector, the second contact is automatically brought into resilient contact with the first contact to establish electrical connection therebetween. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a connector structure for holding the first and second contacts in contact with each other.
In this kind of connector assembly heretofore employed, for example, a pin contact is planted on the inside of a pin connector to extend toward its open end portion, and when a socket connector is inserted substantially fully into the pin connector from its open end portion, the pin contact is fitted into a socket contact in the socket connector to resiliently contact it so as to establish electrical connection therebetween.
If the socket connector is not fully inserted into the pin connector, then good electrical connection could not be obtained between the pin contact and the socket contact. Further, the pin contact and the socket contact may sometimes be disconnected from each other owing to vibration or the like. An arrangement that has been employed to avoid this is such that when the socket connector is fully inserted into the pin connector, a click on the front end face of the socket connector engages a click on the inside of the pin connector to lock the two connectors together. The click of the pin connector is provided in association with a resiliently displaceable lever, and a seesaw lever is rockingly mounted on the socket connector in opposing relation to the abovesaid lever. By turning the seesaw lever from the outside, the lever of the pin connector is displaced to disengage the clicks, unlocking the pin and socket connectors from each other. This lock is called a seesaw lock. Another type of lock is called a cantilever lock. According to this, a click is protrusively provided on the inside of the pin connector near its open end portion, and when the socket connector is fully inserted into the pin connector, a click of the cantilever integrally formed with the socket connector on the outside thereof engages the click of the pin connector to lock the pin and socket connectors. By displacing the cantilever to disengage the clicks, the pin and socket connectors can be unlocked.
As the connector assembly is miniaturized, it becomes difficult with the conventional locking systems to detect the locking of the pin and socket connector by the touch or sound of engagement of their clicks. Further, when the miniaturized connector assembly is employed for electrical connection, for example, in a vehicle, it is feared that the contacts may be disengaged from each other due to vibration.
If the socket contact is not held in the socket connector at a predetermined (or normal) position, then it would not make good contact with the pin contact or it would not make any contact therewith when the socket connector is coupled to the pin connector.
To avoid such defects, it has been proposed to trap the contact in the connector, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,253,718 (issued on Mar. 3, 1981) and 3,680,035 (issued on July 25, 1972). In either case, however, only one locking system is used. Accordingly, in the case where the connector assembly is small and used at a place where it is frequently subjected to vibration, there is the possibility that the contacts get out of position, resulting in bad contact therebetween.